Women's Basketball | 5/4/2026 9:30:00 AM
GREENSBORO — North Carolina A&T's winningest women's basketball coach,
Tarrell Robinson, will assist with on-court workouts at the 2026 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, Ill., May 10–17.
Every year, the NBA selects a mix of collegiate and professional basketball coaches who have built a reputation for strong player development and for teaching pro-level concepts with clarity and efficiency.
"I think it's a great opportunity just to be affiliated and working with the future NBA talents," said Robinson. "To have the opportunity to talk to other basketball minds… I'm excited to be around it."
Two other representatives from North Carolina A&T were also invited to assist with the combine. Men's basketball assistant athletic trainer Zaida Hall will serve as a trainer for the week, and men's basketball student manager Julian Baysmore will help as a game attendant or manager.
In recent years, the league has shown a commitment to diversifying this space by inviting women's basketball coaches and representatives from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). As a representative of both, Robinson recognizes the significance of this initiative.
"I think finally over maybe the last 10 years, people are starting to understand there's not really a difference besides gender," he said. "Basketball is basketball; there are some really good women's coaches that could coach in the NBA and vice versa. There are some women's coaches that are just as good with X's and O's and strategy and player development as there are on the guys' side, and that's where opportunities like this come across."
Robinson is one of the most successful coaches in A&T history – men or women. His name goes alongside some of the greats, such as men's basketball coaches Cal Irvin and Don Corbett. He has 260 wins, the second-most of any basketball coach in A&T history. In the 14 years Robinson has served as A&T's head women's basketball coach, the Aggies have produced five regular-season conference championships. That includes the 2024-25 CAA regular-season title, the Aggies' first as a member of the league.
Under Robinson, the Aggies have also made three NCAA tournament appearances, four WNIT appearances, and one Women's Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT) appearance. He also has three Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) tournament titles. He has been associated with the women's program for 19 seasons, serving as a head coach, assistant coach, and associate head coach. In that span, the Aggies have two additional MEAC regular-season championships, another MEAC tournament title, and one more WNIT appearance.
He has coached and been associated with some of the greatest players in program history, including Ta'Wuana Cook, Amber Bland, Brittanie Taylor James, Jordan Dorsey,
Chaniya Clark, and others. As head coach, 19 different players have earned 30 all-conference recognitions. Nine different players have earned multiple all-conference honors, including three players becoming three-time all-conference selections. Eight players have earned all-rookie honors.
In the assistant role at the NBA Draft Combine, his responsibilities will look different than what he's now used to in Aggieland. Instead of creating and leading the drills while serving as the guiding voice, he'll get to take a more backseat role and assist where needed, another shift he welcomes.
"I think I get to go back to being an assistant, which is really connecting and building relationships," said Robinson. "That's part of it; to keep it going and keep the right people around you. I'm interested in seeing what they do, see if there's anything that I can learn and pick up."
